this post was submitted on 06 Jan 2024
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289
US Intelligence Shows Flawed China Missiles Led Xi to Purge Army (www.bloomberg.com)
submitted 2 years ago by Stamau123@lemmy.world to c/world@lemmy.world
23 comments fedilink hide all child comments
 
  • China missiles filled with water, not fuel: US intelligence
  • Xi seeking to root out corruption, prepare military for combat

US intelligence indicates that President Xi Jinping’s sweeping military purge came after it emerged that widespread corruption undermined his efforts to modernize the armed forces and raised questions about China’s ability to fight a war, according to people familiar with the assessments.

The corruption inside China’s Rocket Force and throughout the nation’s defense industrial base is so extensive that US officials now believe Xi is less likely to contemplate major military action in the coming years than would otherwise have been the case, according to the people, who asked not to be named discussing intelligence.

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[–] yogurt@lemm.ee 52 points 2 years ago (3 children)

China missiles filled with water, not fuel: US intelligence

Somebody fucked up the actual story somewhere along the way. A normal problem with liquid ICBMs like a DF5 is tiny amounts of water contamination in propellant. N2O4 is meant to sit in a missile for months but if even just the humidity in the air gets in to it, it forms nitric acid and corrodes the missile. That happened to US ICBMs like the Titan II constantly and the US never reliably stopped it, they just switched to solid fuel. If contractors cut corners building a silo water contamination causing corrosion is the first thing that would go wrong. Meth heads siphoning rocket fuel and trying to replace it with water and dying instantly in a massive explosion didn't happen.

[–] Zoboomafoo@slrpnk.net 13 points 2 years ago (2 children)

I hate to be that guy, but source?

All the info I could find is derived from the Bloomburg article, which clearly says "water instead of fuel", and also silo doors that don't fully open lmao

[–] Rakonat@lemmy.world 16 points 2 years ago* (last edited 2 years ago)

The accusations as I understand it is the fuel never got to the missile, it was sold black market elsewhere and someone filled the missile with water instead because you can't really check it given how it reacts with moisture in the air.

[–] yogurt@lemm.ee 5 points 2 years ago (1 children)

No source it's just pretty much physically impossible. Even if there's no safety system setting off alarms N2O4/UDMH is denser than water, you can't fit enough water in the rocket to make it weigh like it's full of fuel, it's going to read like 20% is missing either way. And if nobody cares about that why are you putting anything in it at all?

Water contamination and the 100 ton armored door not working are both super likely results of generals embezzling money, water instead of fuel is dumb and Bloomberg has a track record of fucking up this kind of thing

[–] Zoboomafoo@slrpnk.net -1 points 2 years ago

So your proof is just that you think your scenario is more plausible than what Bloomburg reported?

[–] MaxVoltage@lemmy.world 6 points 2 years ago

Bro but like chinese walter white???? /wwww

[–] Rapidcreek@lemmy.world 50 points 2 years ago (2 children)

Putin has the same problem. Perhaps it made Xi look for it.

[–] uis@lemmy.world 2 points 2 years ago* (last edited 2 years ago) (1 children)

For Putin corruption is not a problem, it's a feature. How else you think he got his palace? Yacht? Another yacht?

[–] PipedLinkBot@feddit.rocks 1 points 2 years ago

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[–] Nobody@lemmy.world 24 points 2 years ago (1 children)

A significant delay could be the ballgame in Taiwan for the foreseeable future.

The B-21 will be in service in 2027 and sixth generation fighters a few years later. The Chinese will need a very long time to try to come up with countermeasures for the new tech.

[–] YtA4QCam2A9j7EfTgHrH 16 points 2 years ago (1 children)

Given how defensive warfare is showing its strength in Ukraine, without air superiority, I doubt China could take the island right now. And I think the US and all of its allies would make life hell for the Chinese. Just submarine warfare would cut Chinese oil off like it did to the Japanese in WWII.

[–] Nobody@lemmy.world 9 points 2 years ago (1 children)

True, and unlike Russia China is not even remotely self-sufficient. Fuel, food, etc. all imported on a massive scale.

[–] nexusband@lemmy.world 4 points 2 years ago (1 children)

And unlike Ukraine, Taiwan already has a lot of protection against incoming missiles and no direct border. Having to ship everything by sea makes it so complicated, I believe the only option for china would be to nuke Taiwan. But that would have a whole lot of other repercussions...

[–] hydrospanner@lemmy.world 2 points 2 years ago

Not the least of which being that if they nuke it, they don't get it. At least not in the way they want it.

But honestly, way theory aside, massive open warfare against Taiwan would be horrific for Taiwan, but outside of the region, it would really doom China as it exists.

Even if they did manage to take the island, likely with just an overwhelming wave of soldiers, at that point, the entire world, aside from a few exceptions (NK, Iran, Syria, Russia, Belarus, and maybe some African nations) are going to effectively strangle the Chinese economy with sanctions if not an outright embargo.

It might not change things overnight, but hitting China square in the economy is far more effective than it is for Russia, because China is so much more of a player in the world economy. They depend on the world buying their goods. As long as the rest of the world can keep unfulfilled consumer demand from triggering crippling sustained double digit inflation for years on end, there may not even be a need for large scale, near-peer open warfare.

[–] random_character_a@lemmy.world 23 points 2 years ago (1 children)

Aww. China invading Taiwan with Super Soakers.

[–] crackajack@reddthat.com 2 points 2 years ago

Water guns and nerfs are now mostly made in China after all.

[–] tunetardis@lemmy.ca 16 points 2 years ago (1 children)

So… Chinese Watergate?

[–] Stamau123@lemmy.world 20 points 2 years ago (1 children)

Chinese Waterballoon

[–] girlfreddy@lemmy.ca 3 points 2 years ago (1 children)

Could be why they used weather ballons to spy on other nations, instead of spy planes. 🤣

[–] DragonTypeWyvern@literature.cafe 3 points 2 years ago

They used balloons because it's deniable and cheap.

[–] NIB@lemmy.world 10 points 2 years ago

https://archive.is/ezs2C

[–] phoenixz@lemmy.ca 2 points 2 years ago

Obscure dictatorship armies are corrupt as fuck and barely functioning? I would not believe it if I didn't hear it with my own eyes.